Doubt
by princessofthedeadsheep
Summary: The victimology seemed impossibly random, and yet was clearly not...the BAU was baffled, and before long Reid is kidnapped. Soon after, those taken return, but they are not like they used to be... Mildly supernatural elements, I guess, but it could be scifi if you want to look at it that way instead. Gen/family fic
1. Another Day, Another Case

**Alright. So I've had this idea for a while now, and I can safely say that it's time to get it out. I cannot guarantee it'll be that great- parts are a little shaky as I write them- but I do have chapters written out pretty far in front of this. I just have to type them. This fic will be Gen, and it will borrow from several authors. _I_ _have received permission__ from each of them and I will cite each fic as I use them_, probably at the end of the chapter, with an actual link on my page. This chapter doesn't have any though, so it shouldn't be a problem here.**

**Disclaimer: I would love to own Criminal Minds and get to see all these beautiful people in real life, but I can't so I clearly don't own it.**

Doubt. A seed, once planted, never really went away. Dr. Spencer Reid did know, on some level, that these people cared for him. Yet on another, there was always that doubt.

People he loved left.

That, to him, was a simple truth that he could not avoid. The people he loved always left him, and he couldn't help that, and some part of him always expected them to leave like Gideon had, like his father had, or worse-the way his mother had. He knew it wasn't her fault that she wasn't always there when he needed her, but that didn't help him when he needed it, and only served to fuel that doubt. He had no idea that it would make him such an attractive target for their next unsub.

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"Our next case is in Athens, Tennessee. Peter McDavis went missing while walking his dog last Thursday, and was held captive for 18 hours before he was found lying dead at the side of the road three blocks from his home. Cause of death was cardiac arrest, believed to be caused by electric currents which came through the nodes attached on either side of his head, given the burn patterns they left." JJ flashed the pictures onto the screen, showing first the victim, an older white man, then his dead body, which appeared to have been gently laid on a softer patch of the ground. Another picture zoomed into his face to show the pattern of the burn marks, which were oval shaped and ran down the side of his face. The largest were at the temples, and next to each eye there was a slightly smaller burn. Along the cheeks two longer but skinnier ones rested along the curve of the nose. About two centimeters from the corner of his mouth rested the smallest burn, almost unnoticeable.

"Four days later, in Dayton, Trisha Macintyre went missing on her way to work from her favorite coffee shop." JJ flashed the picture of a middle aged Latino woman "She was found the next day with the same burn patterns as McDavis, and it is believed she was alive for only twelve hours after her abduction. She was dumped three blocks from her office, cause of death was an aneurism."

"Two days later, Natalie Turner went missing while walking to the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. She was only held for about 5 hours before her death. She was found just outside of the college campus boundaries." The young black woman stared back at them, her eyes open in the picture of her body. "She had the same burn patterns on her face, same cause of death as Macintyre.

"Just a day after that, Justin Anderson was abducted on his way home from work, he is still missing, and just four hours ago Angela Paxton was abducted on her way to work." JJ finished.

"Any reason besides the death count make them think that these are connected?" Hotch asked.

"At each abduction site, a large white card with a single word in black letters was found. McDavis was Greed, Macintyre was arrogance, Turner was betrayal, Anderson was depression, and Paxton was adoration." JJ put up the pictures of the different abduction sites as they'd been found.

"So these are punishments for having undesirable characteristics?" Morgan asked.

"Well electrocution is one way to make people change." Rossi said.

"Justin Anderson diagnosed with reactive depression, but he was the only one with any type of mental illness." Reid looked up from his furious flipping of the files as Garcia spoke.

"The coroner's report says that there was a decrease in the severity of the burns from one victim to the next, and there were no traces of any toxins or drugs, though there was a needle mark in their shoulders." He said.

"So what, the unsub is trying to make them live through the torture longer, but somehow it's backfiring on him?" Morgan asked.

"The burns aren't consistent with the amount of electricity they'd need for torture or death, and there doesn't appear to be a lot of burns on the bodies." Prentiss pointed out. "So maybe torture isn't this unsub's goal."

"Regardless, this unsub is escalating. Wheels up in twenty." Hotch said.


	2. Another Death

**This part has yet to be beta'd but in the interest of giving you guys something, I thought I'd post this anyway and make any changes later. So keep in mind that this isn't perfect and may change. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but I really want to get to the juicy part! After that, hopefully I'll be able to get out chapters more quickly.**

**Also I'm going to let the first chapter disclaimer apply to the whole fic for my own sanity.**

"This unsub is organized." Rossi says. "The victims appear to be ones of opportunity, but in reality the unsub likely has stalked them all before." They were on the jet, having just sat down to start going over the case.

"He probably even has a list. Who needs to be hit, why they fit his needs. He'd be able to tell us everyone he used. The way the bodies are positioned show signs of remorse." Morgan says.

"Maybe the unsub doesn't mean to kill them." Reid said, looking thoughtful. "The burns get less and less severe with each victim, and the newest victims are younger, healthier, and therefore more likely to bounce back from injury. Maybe the reason the unsub is lightening the currents is because they're trying to find an amount that won't kill the victims."

"If that's the case, then maybe that's why we haven't gotten the bodies of the newest victims yet. They may have found a way to keep them alive." Prentiss pointed out.

"But there is no guarantee of that, and he might still take more victims, so we need to act quickly. Rossi and Morgan will go to the most recent disposal site, Prentiss and Reid will interview the Paxtons and Andersons. They're already at the station." With their assignments done, they settled in for the rest of the flight.

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Reid, Prentiss, JJ and Hotch all entered the station to be greeted by a _slightly_ cold environment. They all instantly recognized it as the reluctance to allow the FBI in. That slight territorial edge permeated the looks they were given and the attitudes of one or two of the detectives. The detective who greeted them seemed to be far less bothered, at least.

"I'm Detective Suttcliffe." He introduced himself.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner." Hotch held out his hand to be shaken. "And these are SSAs Emily Prentiss, Dr. Spencer Reid, and Jennifer Jareau." They all shook hands with him.

"Glad you guys could come. This murderer is getting more and more impatient and I'm afraid we're going to lose someone else all too soon."

"Hopefully we can get this unsub before there are many more deaths. Where should we set up?"

"In the room over there. It's really comfortable and I figured you'd be able to spread out more there than in the conference room. Plus it has a couch _and_ a fridge." He added the last sentence in a lowered voice with a hint of a smile. They headed to the place he had gestured to which was already piled with the boxes of files they had collected. Half an hour later Reid and Prentiss came back from the interviews, both carrying cups of coffee.

"We asked about the word that was left at the scene. According to Jennifer Paxton, adoration is what she'd consider her sister's only vice. She tends to adore people who she thinks accomplish great things, regardless of how they do it. It's gotten her into sticky situations." Prentiss said as she broke the seal on a bottle of coke.

"The Anderson's said that Justin has been struggling with depression since he was about fifteen." Reid put in, pulling out a chair at the table as he looked at the files sitting there. "He hit a rough patch recently and decided to go back to therapy." Just then Morgan and Rossi came back.

"Well, our unsub certainly gets around." Morgan pulled out a chair next to Reid and plopped down, stealing a sip from the coffee Reid had brought. "The time taken with the victims as well as the distance between the crime scenes show that this unsub has a lot of time on their hands."

"So that means he is either unemployed or he has a job that provides a lot of mobility." Rossi said as he went over to the fridge and pulled out a piece of pie that had been stashed there earlier. They were about to sit down and go further into the profile when Detective Suttcliffe came in.

"We've got another body. Justin Anderson's body was just found outside of his parent's home." The detective sighed. "Definitely the same."

"Reid, Morgan, go to the crime scene. The rest of us will finish the profile."

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Justin Anderson's body had been placed between two beds of flowers, and his eyes were still open. He had the burns on the side of his face like the others but they were even less obvious than the last two. "It looks like you were right about the burns. They just keep getting lighter." Morgan said as he observed the boy's face.

"Hopefully that means we'll start having live people instead of dead ones." Detective Sutcliffe said. "I know the families would prefer it. The Anderson's are pretty broken up about finding their son on their front lawn."

"Did they see or hear anything?" Reid asked, looking over as he bent on the other side of the body to study the burns up close himself. Sutcliffe shook his head.

"Unfortunately, they weren't home at the time. Since it was midway through a weekday, next to no one was home." They continued talking about the body disposal unaware of the unexpected visitors who were watching not very far away.

The little girl was watching, and though her eyes could not be seen beneath her curtain of dark hair, the way she moved her head gave the impression she was scanning the crowd of cops with great interest.

"Do you see anyone?" The large man behind her asked, his own face set like stone as he kept an eye on the area around him. The little girl giggled in response.

"That one." She pointed at Reid, she watched as the colors bounced and whirled, some dark, some bright, but none so important as the black that shimmied near the heart. She giggled again. "Yes, yes perfect! The best match yet! Oh I bet he'll be the perfect one! We have to get that one!"

"The one next to Justin?" She nodded. Then she paused. "Why is Justin like that? Shouldn't he be in a hospital?" She turned to the man, her little face, the picture of an innocent child's that any artist would dream of, and the man found himself shifting on his feet.

"They're going to take him there now. He'll be alright. we should go now." he said. They turned and left, the girl still frowning. She wasn't sure she believed the man, but if he said it, it must be true. She believed in him after all. He loved her. He wouldn't lie about something so important.

Right?


	3. Another Abduction

**Hey! So we've finally reached the more juicy bits. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace a bit, instead of going with this 17th/18th of the month pace. At any rate, I'm glad to have this ready for you, and in the next few chapters I'll start to introduce different stories. Not yet, and possibly not the chapter after this one, but the one after that. It'll be fun. I hope that you all enjoy this next part!**

The profile wasn't ready by the time they got back. It wasn't ready the next day, either. In that time, it seemed that the unsub was waiting. There was no sign of Angela and Justin's body did not reveal anything they didn't already know. It was getting exceedingly frustrating and they found themselves going out to recover they ground they had already managed. It was for this reason that Reid and Morgan found themselves heading back towards one of the previous abduction sites, discussing parts of the profile with each other and what they might possibly find at the crime scene.

"Trying to figure out the contradictions in this profile is difficult. There's a disconnect between the unsub's ideas and the disposal of the bodies."

"Something here doesn't quite add up." Reid agreed. They arrived at the scene of the first abduction to find that things had been moved, and other changes had been made.

"Has anyone been reported to be moving around here?" Reid asked.

"No, no one should have been in this alley, it's been blocked off. I'll look over here to see what else's changed." Morgan moved away somewhat excited, hopeful things were beginning to go their way, leaving Reid alone to examine the very front of the alley.

Reid looked around and found that the changes were more cosmetic then anything. The trashcans, for instance, had been moved only slightly, but the real change was that they had been cleaned. They sparkled. They were still in similar positions. They still held trash. But they sparkled. Reid leaned forward to see if they were the same cans or if they'd been changed. And it was his leaning forward that made him miss the sight if the man that came up behind him. The man swept Reid off of his feet before Reid had realized anything was wrong. The man clamped a hand over Reid's mouth, and yanking at the gun at Reid's side, pulled it from his holster and pressed it into his stomach.

No words were spoken, but Reid easily understood the threat. He ceased fighting back, deciding to take a more analytical approach, and wait for a better opportunity. The man shoved Reid into the back of a large black panel van and used Reid's own handcuffs to attach him to what appeared to be a safety or stabilizing pole of some kind, it ran sideways along the van, and it forced Reid to kneel in place. A piece of cloth was shoved into his mouth before a needle injected a small amount of a drug into his system. Even so, Reid felt his eyes closing against his will. The unsub made sure to securely shut the door now that Reid was captured.

He was a big, burly, tanned man. He left only one thing, as he always did. A long, slender note with a single word in black lettering written across it.

That word was doubt.

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Reid awoke in a room with the other victim who had yet to be found. She looked at him with wide eyes. They were each chained to a portion of the wall, but were otherwise free to move. It looked a bit like a dungeon in the dim light of the single bulb that descended into the room. On the other wall there was a doorway through which Reid could distantly see stairs. The door wasn't shut. There was no point in shutting it when they were trapped regardless.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked Angela. She nodded shakily.

"They haven't done anything to me so far." She said. She looked around nervously and then whispered. "But the guy who was with me before was taken after the girl was done with him. I think he was dead."

"The girl?" asked Reid, but any answer was cut off by the sound of the door at the end of the hallway opening. They both turned to look as the man descended down the stairs. Beside him, a young girl was skipping down the stairs, only stopping when the man picked her up. It was difficult to tell what she looked like, the view obscured by the darkness of the hallway.

"Don't skip down the stairs, you'll fall." He told her. Despite the words, his tone suggested that he was angry, though the girl either did not realize or ignored it. She continued to skip down the dark hallway and into the room. It was difficult to make out her features even in the light; though he could tell her hair was dark and she had a full little mouth with the chubby cheeks of youth under a pudgy nose. Her eyes were shadowed by the hair that hung into her face. The man wore a simple black shirt that had small holes and paint on it. He wore faded jeans that had to be years old. He wore a hat over his head that blocked a great deal of the light from his face, and stood directly between Reid and the light, making it even more difficult to discern his features. The little girl moved further into the small room, her own jeans and sparkling tinker bell t-shirt coming into the sharp relief as she turned toward Reid. She smiled at him, and it seemed to be both kind and genuine.

"I mean no harm." She spoke quietly, and somewhat distantly, as though he was hearing her with an echo, though her voice was too quiet to produce one. "I only mean to help you. But my control is not enough yet. Yes…I must try to help more…" She went over to where the girl was sitting, eyeing her warily. "Do not worry, it will not hurt." She smiled. "I have discovered the problem. You shall be fine, I promise. No harm shall come to you while I give you this gift."

She placed her fingers in the same formation as the burn marks from before. She spoke in a voice that was more mature sounding, though that ring of innocence was still present. "I have seen your heart, and I have seen your greatest obstacle to happiness and I am here to free you from it. You possess something that others love but that holds you back. Adoration. It holds you back because those you adore are bad for you. They step all over you to get their ways. I will show you…what it could be like…what you could be like…what they could be like…what they are…" The girl and Angela seemed to float into a trance. Reid tried to move forward, but found his path blocked by both the chains and the man who had kidnapped him.

"Stay back." He hissed. "Interference means death." He didn't specify whose death, but Reid would bet his own. So Reid stayed back and watched. He could almost see the electricity flow from the fingertips of the girl to the other's head and he tried to figure out a reason for it. Just as there appeared to be burns marking Angela, the electricity stopped. The child's hands dropped. They both looked slightly stunned, but the child stumbled back into the arms of their captor.

"It is complete. She is done. She will be better than all the others. She will live the best of those so far." She smiled giddily. "I finally figured it out."

"Very good." Was all the man said.

"And now all the rest shall be better than before." She turned to Reid. "There will be a few more tests before we try you." She informed him. "I want to make sure I make yours perfect." She turned around and raced away, leaving the man behind. The man pulled out the keys for the wall cuffs and unlocked Angela's restraints. The man picked up the girl and holding her bridle style, took her away.


End file.
